Method of making shoes



April 1967 I K. DAVIS 3,315,287

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Filed Jan. 31, 1964 Ewenioafliwyd m United States Patent 3,315,287 METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Lloyd K. Davis, Chestnut Hill, Mass., assignor to Allied Novelty Shoe Corp., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Jan. 31, 1954, Ser. No. 341,537 6 Claims. (Cl. 12-142) This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes, and more particularly to methods of assembling the outsole and heel onto the upper of a medium or high heeled Womans shoe.

A Womans shoe of the type to which this invention pertains has a breast flap which is an extension of the outsole. The usual method of assembly is to attach the heel to the lasted upper and cement the outsole blank to the bottom of the shoe and the heel breast. After the cement has dried, the excess material around the edges of the sole and breast flap is trimmed away. The edges are brushed to remove dust, then stained, and the shoe is dried right side up to prevent bleeding of the wet stain onto the upper. The edges are burnished and the shoe is cleaned to remove any stain on the upper and heel. After an air blowing operation to remove dust, the sole bottom is repainted and the shoe again dried. Finally the sole is polished and the last pulled.

Considerable skill and care is required in the trimming, or edge setting operation to avoid damage to the upper and heel and get a good edge. The heels must be sized by the operator and placed accurately in order to produce the correct tread in the finished shoe. This method of applying the sole and breast flap involves a number of operations, and transfers from one operation to another, in the course of which the shoe is likely to get soiled or damaged. As the shoe remains on the last during these operations and the several drying periods, the last is tied up for a considerable time after the upper has been lasted.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a method of assembling the heel, sole, and breast flap which eliminates danger of damage to the upper, which results in more accurate placement of the parts, which eliminates a number of operations in finishing a shoe, and which materially reduces the time on the last. Other objects, advantages, and novel features will be apparent from the following description of the new method.

In the drawings illustrating various stages of the method:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an outsole prepared according to the method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the heel and sole assembled; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a completed shoe on the last.

According to the new method the heel and outsole are assembled as a unit prior to attaching them to the upper. As the first step, a blank 10, having a sole portion a and a breast flap portion 10b is died out to the exact final shape of the sole and breast flap for a particular size and style of shoe. The die cut edge of the blank is stained with a bright drying stain. Preferably a number of blanks are stacked together for the edge staining operation. The margins of the sole portion are skived to about line 11, and the breast flap portion is skived to line 12 which will be at about the upper edge of the heel breast in the finished shoe. A leather blank is painted and polished on the bottom. Other materials, such as rubber may be obtained pre-finished in sheet form. Cement is applied to the upper face of the blank.

The breast fiap portion 10b is cementer to the breast of a heel 13 of corresponding style and size. The heel may be of any of the usual types, for example, a plastic heel molded in finished form or a covered heel. The heel and sole are preferably assembled together in a jig to insure correct alignment.

To make a shoe using this heel and sole assembly, the assembly is laid on a lasted upper 14 and the shoe is then placed in a sole press to cement the sole portion 10a to the bottom of the upper. The last 15 is pulled and the heel nailed from the inside in the usual manner.

As trimming and staining of the sole and breast flap after assembly is unnecessary, there is no danger of damage to the upper. The cleaning and drying operations are eliminated. The last can be returned to production as soon as the sole has been attached, so that fewer lasts are required to maintain a certain volume of production. The finished shoes are more uniform in quality, because there is no danger of wrong selection or incorrect placement of the heel. The new method thus substantially reduces manufacturing costs and production losses.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making a shoe which comprises cutting an outsole blank, including a breast flap portion, to finished shape in one operation, finishing said blank, assembling the breast flap portion in the finished condition onto the breast of a heel, and subsequently attaching the assembled heel and outsole blank to the bottom of a lasted upper.

2. The method of making a shoe which comprises cutting an outsole blank, including a breast flap portion, to finished shape in one operation, staining and finishing the edges of the blank, assembling the breast flap portion in the finished condition onto the breast of a heel, and subsequently attaching the assembled heel and outsole blank to the bottom of a lasted upper.

3. The method of making a shoe which comprises cutting an outsole blank, including a breast flap portion, to finished shape in one operation, finishing said blank, reducing the breast flap portion and margins of the blank to finished thickness, assembling the breast flap portion in the finished condition onto the breast of a heel, and subsequently attaching the assembled outsole blank and heel to the bottom of a lasted upper.

4. The method of making a shoe which comprises cutting a number of outsole blanks, each including a breast flap portion, to finished size in one operation, stacking the blanks and staining their edges while stacked, finishing said blanks, assembling the breast flap portion of one of the blanks in the finished condition onto the breast of a heel, and subsequently attaching the assembled outsole blank and heel to the bottom of a lasted upper.

5. The method of making a shoe which comprises cutting an outsole blank, including a sole portion and a breast flap portion, to finished shape in one operation, finishing said blank, applying cement to one entire face of the blank, laying the cemented face of the finished breast flap portion onto the breast of a heel and cementing said portion to the heel in finished relationship, subsequently placing the assembled blank and heel on the bottom of a lasted upper, and cementing the sole portion to the upper.

6. The method of making a shoe which comprises cutting an outsole blank, including a breast flap portion, to finished shape in one operation, skiving the breast flap portion and margins of the blank to finished thickness, staining the edges of the blank, assembling the breast flap portion in finished condition onto the breast of a heel, and subsequently attaching the assembled outsole blank and heel to the bottom of a lasted upper.

(References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner 2,274,028 2/ 1942 Altenburg 12142 SabO X 1,831,672 11/1931 Lesinski 12-142 r05 6 45 X 0 3/ 1933 Gouldboum et a1 12-142 5 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

2,107,776 2/ 1938 Bancroft 121 2 FRANK I. COHEN, Examiner.

2,237,317 4/1941 Sabo ..12--142 

1. THE METHOD OF MAKING A SHOE WHICH COMPRISES CUTTING AN OUTSOLE BLANK, INCLUDING A BREAST FLAP PORTION, TO FINISHED SHAPE IN ONE OPERATION, FINISHING SAID BLANK, ASSEMBLING THE BREAST FLAP PORTION IN THE FINISHED CONDITION ONTO THE BREAST OF A HEEL, AND SUBSEQUENTLY ATTACHING THE ASSEMBLED HEEL AND OUTSOLE BLANK TO THE BOTTOM OF A LASTED UPPER. 